New York, New York!

On Friday last week I learned that I was going to have to make a quick unexpected business trip to Manhattan for a few days before Thanksgiving. I was none too pleased to learn of this last minute and expressed this to my boss who suggested I take the girls up to the city with me. So I called Carissa and she jumped at the opportunity, renewing library books and canceling doctors appointments to clear her schedule. We left Sunday afternoon after teaching our primary class and made great time up to NYC. We settled into the company apartment in Times Square and then I threw Leah onto my shoulders and we walked about in the cold autumn night.

Leah loved the lights. She couldn't get enough of the M&M's store and all the flashing lights. She would laugh and point to the horses drawing carriages behind them. Really it was sensory overload for her and she ate it all up despite the sub-freezing temperatures. We escaped the cold for a while by slipping into some stores including the Toys "R" Us store that features a large Ferris wheel. Leah loved all of the toys and the displays. Though she wasn't too fond of the giant animatronic T-Rex from Jurassic Park. We also stopped by Rockefeller Plaza to see the Christmas tree. All of the scaffolding was up around it for them to hang the ornaments and decorate. However, they had already placed the Swaroski crystal star at the top.

I went to work early each morning but returned in the early afternoon to take the girls out for the rest of the day. On Monday afternoon we headed a few blocks north on foot and strolled through Central Park. We made our way over to the zoo first. Leah loved the zoo. The sea lions are the main attraction and they and trainers put on a show every couple of hours. One advantage to the cool weather was that all the animals were out and you could see them. This was much better than our experience at the National Zoo a few years ago on a 100+ degree day with nearly 100% humidity. Leah laughed and said hello and bye-bye to every animal. I think she needs to be a veterinarian. Next up we walked to the Tavern on the Green, the Carousel, and then the Bow Bridge because it was featured in Carissa's favorite movie. At this point we were exhausted but we kept walking down to FAO Schwartz. Leah wasn't too happy we had to leave. I think it was more a combination of the cold, the walking, sleep deprivation, and hunger. So we grabbed some dinner at Maxie's.

Here Leah is patiently waiting for her dessert:

Here she is with her dessert:



Here's Leah happy as a bug and willing to smile nicely for the camera because she has her dessert:

On our last full day in the city we decided to head south. We took the subway down to the south end of the island and hopped on the Staten Island Ferry. Leah fell asleep on the way so I held her while Carissa was able to take pictures of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty as we passed by. Leah woke up by the time we got to Staten Island so we did a turnabout and got right back on but stayed out on the rear deck. Leah loved the water and the seagulls chasing the ferry. We then walked north into the Financial District, past the Bull statue, Wall Street, the NYSE, and finally stopped at Ground Zero. It's a giant construction pit as they are beginning construction on the Freedom Tower. Tower 7 to the north has already been rebuilt and my company installed the EMI shields there. We're working on a design for the Freedom Tower now. We boarded the subway again and headed back to Times Square. I was tired and exhausted from all of the walking. I had been up at 5:45am to walk to work every morning and it was starting to catch up to me. Needless to say I was grumpy and took it out on my girls. We got some oven baked pizza and I bought them some Kinder chocolate to make ammends.

Wednesday after work we headed home without any incident or traffic. I was shocked that the traffic was so light on the eve of Thanksgiving. I guess the economy had a lot of people staying home this year. It was so nice to have my girls there with me. I get so bored in the city by myself. I am already dreading the week I'll be spending away from them again when I head back up this evening. But it was a wonderful little vacation for our little family. As nice as it was, there is still no place like home.